In the US, title VII of the Civil Rights legislation prohibits discrimination based on religion. When a dress code conflicts with some worker's particular beliefs(ethnic, religious), the employer must modify the dress code, unless doing so creates "undue hardship" for the employer's business. I have heard that some employers prohibit the wearing of yarmulkes and other items of dress, head covering, religious symbols and insignias, and other icons of faith in the office environment. From what I know, courts have ruled that private employers can institute whatever dress code they wish as long as they can provide a business justification for it. It seems to me that if safety is an issue is one thing, for instance where a long dress or a head covering could be caught in some mechanism on a factory/laboratory environment...but frankly, I believe that imposing rigid or prescriptive dress requirements could create resentment and affect morale and good will. How about a Cross, a star of David, or other Religious Icons in one's office? I would personally avoid overly prescriptive policies and highlight safety issues if they are in fact an issue. Period. Employees' beliefs should be respected and should be trusted to use good judgment. Do you agree?

"I love that you guys always seem to find interesting topics to discuss.

I've been lucky in that my employer has a fairly flexible dress code that allows for religious dress to be taken into consideration and accommodated accordingly (and dress code is only a piece of the Religion iceberg faced by organizations). We've even built a prayer room into a number of our larger facilities to accomodate those religions where the employees are required to pray at certain times throughout the day. We have, however, had to implement policies & guidelines with regards to what can and can't be captured in e-mail auto-signatures and voicemails, as some e-mails/ voicemails used to quote lines from various Religious texts (as well as other copyrighted materials) and/or wish people a specific Religious holiday (like Merry Christmas) even though all people (employees & customers) receiving the e-mail did not celebrate that holiday.

Of those issues related to Religion that i've had to deal with, a lot came down to simple ignorance - managers have a hard time accomodating something they don't fully understand (and some of which had no desire to understand, which was rare), especially given the sheer number of Religions we're now experiencing within our workplaces and the variations within each Religion. The Directorate of Military Gender Integration & Employment Equity (in Ottawa), published a handbook in 2003 providing a high-level description of the various different Religions they'd identified across Canada. This has definitely been a useful tool in speaking with Managers once an issue relating to Religion has been identified - this and facilitated dialogue between all parties involved.

This area has definitely been of great learning for me and those that I support. Experience alone has given me a greater appreciation for each Religion i've have had the opportunity to learn more about based on issues that have arisen in the workplace. "

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Ian Welsh

September 19, 2017 05:33 PM

"Hi Maurizio:
Another fascinating subject. I remember a dress code business justification which compelled technicians to wear a tie because the area they worked in was visible to customers passing through - even though they operated grinders and there were other entanglement risks. I also recall senior management trying to use the safety committee to ban certain faith linked attire although there was little diligence concerning anything else. Diversity may be visible, but in an enlightened environment a head covering should not affront anyone. If it does, counseling or sensitizing may help (the offended person)or at least be a clear company statement.
Thanks,